


Master of deception

by SweetAlphaChild



Series: Master of deception [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 03:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14204526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetAlphaChild/pseuds/SweetAlphaChild
Summary: He's been feeding lies without shame to anybody that could be useful to his purpose. Obito has never felt any remorse about it until Deidara crosses his path.





	Master of deception

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redskiez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redskiez/gifts).



It's been a few weeks since Obito admitted to himself his interest for Deidara, not only as one of Tobi's traits, but as something that went beyond his character. The moment he noticed that need for company and information about the artist, he had to stop deceiving himself. He's already gone through the scroll with intel about him gathered by Akatsuki prior to the day he joined. Obito also knows by heart the file of his progress within the organization. He memorized all the missions he's been to, all the incidents he's been involved in and places he's been sent and that sometimes, the Tsuchikage himself hires Akatsuki's services, and requests specifically for Deidara every single time he does so.

Obito always despised Iwa. They were the ones Konoha was at war with, the ones who made the cave collapse on top of him. He went through a stage of guilt when he noticed Deidara was no longer trapped in his prejudices against the hidden village. But that stage is over, finished by his own cravings. So, in order to obtain it, he resorts to the thing he's better at, for he's been practicing it for nearly two decades until he's become the master of deception.

He starts by spreading a rumor. An Iwa double agent during the third ninja war who secretly served the Mizukage might be back with unknown intentions. Of course, Onoki's worry increases day after day, until he decides to contact Akatsuki, requesting for Deidara after all his best jonins have failed trying to find a man that isn't even there.

The moment they see Iwagakure from the clay bird, Obito smiles, knowing he's at the place that saw Deidara grow up.

"I hope we have some free time after finishing the mission!" he chirps.

"Don't get so excited yet, we don't know if we're going to succeed finding this..." Deidara unrolls the scroll in his hands again to refresh his memory "Hatori Reizo guy. It wouldn't surprise me if it was nothing but a rumor, the old geezer was always too cautious, hm."

_'Oh, if only you knew...'_

The meeting with the Tsuchikage goes well. Obito is surprised to notice he's fond to see Deidara again. It's not usual when a village welcomes back a rogue nin who has betrayed them. He even gets to know Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, who were eavesdropping behind a door.

"This is not the weirdo you always come with," the girl says after eyeing Tobi up and down, "this is a different weirdo."

Obito nearly faints. It's hard to believe someone would talk with such disrespect to an Akatsuki member.

"Watch your mouth, you brat" Deidara warns her. "His name is Tobi."

Feeling like he just got introduced, Obito bows awkwardly, reciting the usual words for the situation. Despite the girl's cheekiness, he's still thrilled, learning more about Deidara's former life. After the introductions with the two of them, they're free to go and investigate. Still wanting to spend time with Deidara and despite Onoki's complaints, both members of his old team follow them outside. He can hear them whispering to each other how strong they think Tobi is and trying to guess his abilities.

"You should spar with me, Deidara! I've gotten much stronger while you were away!" Akatsuchi says at last.

"Mee too! I'm sure I can kick your ass now, Deidara-nii!" Kurotsuchi adds. "Maybe even both of you, there's only a way to find out, bring it on!"

"Ha, you wish you could, anyway we don't have time for a spar now, your grandad doesn't pay us to fool around, hm."

They finally leave them behind, to focus better on the task. Even if he hasn't talked much to them, Obito hasn't been this excited for a long time.

"That was a nice welcome, senpai," he comments, once they're on their own. "They still like you in here."

"Not everyone. Actually, I don't think the Explosive Forces are happy to see Onoki hire me instead of punishing me, but who cares?"

Some jonins they find on the way give them dirty looks, not even bothering concealing their killing intent. They're trying to make evident they don't support Onoki's decision, but also avoiding to step in since there is nothing they can do against the Tsuchikage's will. Deidara seems to have had such a nice life back in Iwa. He wonders why he decided to betray them. If Obito could choose, he would have stayed in Konoha with his team, despite all the anxiety he got over being paired with a genius he couldn't beat no matter what he did, and his unrequited love interest, in love with said genius. Anything was better than being so lonely for so many years. Deidara has a better relationship with his team than he ever had with his, and still, he ditched them to become a rogue.

He knows how hard life is as a missing nin. Your face is in every bingo book, everybody tries to hunt you and you don't have a hidden village to back you up. You're basically on your own against everyone else. He must have had a really powerful reason.

"So, what do you think of my old team?" Deidara asks.

"I don't know senpai, " he answers, scratching his head in confusion. "They seem to me quite feisty and violent, just like you. It must be an Iwa thing."

Deidara just smiles.

"They were both 13 year old brats when I left. I can't believe it's been three years already" he says, speaking with such fondness that only raises more questions inside Obito's head. "But no way they're going to kick my ass. Although maybe they kick yours. Kurotsuchi won't stop pestering you until you agree to spar with her, you'll see, hm."

Well, Obito could just let her win, although that wouldn't be good for Akatsuki's reputation. Either way, he's in trouble. He'd like to be able to spar with Deidara's former team without all the pressure it implies being in a criminal organization. Shouldn't they be scared now that he thinks about it? Maybe knowing Deidara has made them lose all fear for the infamous red and black cloak.

On their way to the place they have to investigate, Deidara scans the surroundings, looking for something suspicious. Knowing it was all a lie, Obito prefers to take it easy, to enjoy the landscape and the beautiful views. They're on top of a mountain, and an impressive canyon can be seen down the valley. There are bridges all over the village, connecting different districts through the rivers and abrupt cliffs of the geography. There's a small waterfall falling between two houses and Obito stops to admire it while Deidara stays focused on their mission. It's a truly amazing place. Much more stunning than Konoha.

"Oi, Tobi! I knew it would be me doing all the work like always. Hurry up, hm!"

He's already catching the local accent. In the land of Earth, people tend to pronounce the sound 'r' slightly stronger, and in some words, the sound 'u' leans more towards 'oo' instead. Deidara lost almost completely his Iwa accent after being so far away from his homeland, but talking to a couple of people has made it resurface. Its kinda cute. Obito feels a strange warmth spreading through his chest, he keeps observing the water falling while he analyzes what he feels in ambivalence. He can imagine a younger Deidara passing by that same spot every morning to assist to his daily lessons. For him it must be natural, but for Obito, it's a wonder.

"Can we buy a camera, senpai? Maybe we can ask someone to take a picture of us right here. It will be cool to have memories of our trip, don't you think so?"

Instants later, he feels a tug on his right sleeve.

"This is not a trip. It's a mission," he states, dragging him away. "I better keep you leashed before you get distracted by the next shiny thing we find on the way."

Obito tries to catch his pace. The bad thing about deceiving Deidara into believing they're on a mission is that he's taking things too seriously for Obito's liking, who just wants to spend the day with him.

"Sooo mean," he complains, "I've never been in Iwa before, I wanted to enjoy the sight of that cool waterfall a bit longer! Everything in here is just so cool! Look at that house, that is a cool one, isn't it? It almost looks like it's carved in the rocks! And those cool sandals everyone is wearing, damn fine Iwa footwear! Oh, and senpai! What about that cool Iwa sheep?"

"It's a normal sheep, Tobi," Deidara says, his voice weary.

"But, the coolest thing in Iwa is right next to me!" When his partner gives him an interested glance, Obito smiles behind his mask, and points at some random object in the opposite direction where Deidara is "I'm talking of course, about that lamp post."

Deidara is trying his best not to let Obito notice he isn't impressed at all, to no avail.

"It's a joke, senpai! Of course you're the coolest, stop pouting like that!"

The truth is, that Obito loves when Deidara pouts.

"Stop. Distracting. Me. Hm."

That section of the street is a quite steep journey downhill. Deidara concentrates chakra on his feet to keep his balance but Obito prefers to grab Deidara's hand not caring that time about Akatsuki's reputation. His partner stops asking him to let go after he pretends to nearly fall twice.

"Be careful! We'll waste even more time if I have to take you to the hospital when you break an arm or something. Just put some chakra on your feet like I did!"

"You know, senpai," he answers, ignoring what he just suggested, "building a town on top of a mountain sounds to me like a terrible idea! Didn't they think about the slopes?"

He manages to get some conversation out of Deidara, things about defenses and advantage if under siege. He knows all that stuff already, but appreciates the effort Deidara is putting into his explanation. He decides from that moment, to behave a bit better and pretend he's invested in the fake mission. He even treats him to lunch. They check together the whole list of places the Tsuchikage wants them to investigate, including the catacombs, an impressive tunnel network built inside the mountain. Deidara uses his trained eye to check for genjustu, a skill that not many people know he has. Again and again, they find nothing, but in the solitude of the place, Obito has managed to hold his hand again, he says the place freaks him out a bit, and that he feels braver that way. To his surprise, Deidara allows it just to keep him quiet, apparently. Not that it's going to work.

On the way back, he feels chatty again. Maybe he can see again that cute Deidara's pout.

"These tunnels look quite old, do you know their history, senpai?"

"I didn't know you were interested in general knowledge. We studied it in the academy, but I've long forgotten, hm."

Here he goes.

"It looks like the perfect place to make out," at Deidara's scandalized glance, he backs out, supressing a chuckle, "I mean, not that I want us to make out, of course, what would your old sensei think if he heard of it? Can you imagine all the gossip?"

"I'd rather not imagine any of that, hm. But you're free to fantasize with me all you want," he deadpans.

"Hey! What I was trying to say is that maybe a lot of Iwa couples come here to make out, just that."

Deidara beams slyly.

"So you don't want to? I think you do."

"Would you be disappointed if I didn't want to? I think you would," Obito retorts.

He's dropped Tobi's shrill tone of voice, he sounds more like himself now. It wasn't intentional but still has happened. The gradual change has been subtle, but he wonders if his partner has noticed. He probably has, but as he doesn't make any comments, it encourages him to act more naturally in the future. The warm sensation within his chest is back, even if it that pitiful hunger for his acceptance unsettles him, the yearn is stronger than his fears.

Deidara releases his hand just to elbow him.

"It seems to me you're not scared anymore, hm," he says, walking at a faster pace, and Obito catches himself smiling fondly, he does it a lot lately.

"I never said I was... Oops... Busted, I guess."

Unable to stop himself, he starts giggling when Deidara stops just to punch his arm half-heartedly.

"You find it funny, don't you?"

"Come on, it's kinda funny."

"Well, tone it down now. We're near the surface and I don't want people thinking we've been making out here instead of doing our jobs."

"I know, I know, Deidara-senpai. We don't want Iwa thinking you've been snogging silly Tobi," his next punch to the arm is much stronger, "auch!"

* * *

 

They report to the Tsuchikage and Deidara takes him to the house where he used to live. His mother is already waiting for them. Obito's curiosity has been tingling annoyingly since he saw Deidara sending her a tiny clay bird with a message to let her know they'd be staying over. She receives them by the porch, it's a big wooden house, with a wide back yard covered in grass and surrounded by a fence, it has some fruit trees, a few crops planted and five or six brown hens scattered around. It's a civilian house.

After the introductions, she asks them to leave their shoes by the porch next to hers and rushes them inside the house. Obito takes the pair of slippers offered and pretends to be distracted while he studies her body language, something he's became extremely good at. She seems glad to see her son again, but also wary and nervous. He deducted she wanted them inside the house as soon as possible to avoid the shame of having his son become a missing nin. They've found neighbours peeking through their doors, some of them recognizing Deidara or whispering while they were passing by.

He finds out, she lives on her own and works as a potter for a living in a workshop that belongs to her. He can see how that influenced Deidara's lifestyle. Obito scans her features next, his mask pointing at his cup of green tea in an attempt to conceal he's actually staring at her. He's thrilled to find some similarities in their face features, although he can't say exactly what. Maybe is the face shape. Their eyes are quite different, hers being green and rounder than Deidara's, while her hair is a light shade of brown.

Scanning the room next in search of more information, he deduces she might have never been married, as she's not wearing any rings in her hands or dressing in the colours of widowhood. The only photo frame in the whole room shows her, a five year old Deidara with a baby chick in his hands and an old smiling man, probably Deidara's grandad. They look like an adorable family. Obito even feels slightly bitter at the thought of Deidara abandoning them. He understands he must have had his reasons, but still, he had so many people who cared about him.

Deidara doesn't talk much during dinner, so it has to be Tobi making some harmless conversation and complimenting the food every five minutes. Every time he lifts his mask, he can feel his partner's stare bored in his newly exposed skin. He wants to tease him again, but sadly that's not the place or moment. He insists on him and Deidara washing up afterwards. Deidara's mum appears more relaxed now in their presence, and Obito is oddly glad about it.

She has prepared a second futon for him in what used to be Deidara's old room.

"We should have brought a present, senpai," he comments, checking a painting of a black sun over a heavy sea. "Maybe we are Akatsuki members, but that doesn't mean we have to be rude guests."

"It will be all right, hm."

Deidara is busy getting ready for bed, while Obito can't help the need to snoop around. This is his best chance at knowing Deidara better. Without any shame, he opens the wardrobe and goes through his old clothes. He finds his old jonin uniform first and tries to picture Deidara wearing it. In his imagination, he looks stunningly handsome with the brown leather chestplate above the maroon top with a single sleeve.

"Now you're being a rude guest," he adds.

"Oops," Obito replies, ignoring him.

"Is that your only defense?"

A cerulean and black haori decorated with leaves and branches and a striped hakama catch his attention next. Iwa's traditional costume. Obito takes it out. He needs to see Deidara dressed in that. Someone like him looks good on whatever clothes they're wearing. No matter how hard Obito tried to imagine him in the most ridiculous of the outfits, Deidara looked good in all of them. He even tried with Maito Gai's spandex green overall. It wasn't working. Whatever. He shouldn't be thinking about someone who never ever considered him important enough to remember his name.

"Why don't you try this on, senpai?"

"Do you know what people say? It's bad luck to wear it when there's nothing to celebrate, hm. Put it back."

He does as he's told before closing the wardrobe. Deidara goes out to use the bathroom.

"But, do you actually believe in that senpai, or is it just a lame excuse?" he says out loud.

No response. When he hears the door closing, he slides the wardrobe door again, grabs the outfit and absorbs it in his kamui. It isn't technically stealing, as he'd give it back to Deidara one day when there's actually something to celebrate.

Not like he was going to use all that stuff anytime soon anyway.

* * *

 

As expected, they don't have any luck next day too. They finish everything in the list, and both go back to the Tsuchikage's office and fill a report. He announces them, it was probably just a rumor, that they won't be needed anymore and therefore, they can leave. Obito pays special attention to the conversation between the old man and Deidara, at one point he says, "if some day you decide to ditch your pride and come to your senses, you know what to do". To which Deidara just scoffs, rolling his eyes. It isn't often when a traitor is told they are still welcome in their old village, by the Tsuchigake himself, no less. He hasn't thought of that possibility. Well, Deidara doesn't seem thrilled at the idea, but Obito can't help wondering if he'd still want to hang out with him. He could convince Nagato to let him go without consequences, but still, he feels something twisting painfully inside his stomach when he thinks about them not being partners anymore.

_What is he for Deidara?_

They come back to the house to say goodbye to Deidara's mother but she's not at home. Deidara tells him that she usually comes back from the market at dinner time. Obito goes to the back yard and sits on the step while his partner goes upstairs to tidy the room. He still can't stop thinking about the life Deidara left behind. While he's sitting on the step, a chicken approaches him, they stare curiously at each other, the animal is probably checking if he has food. Hidden behind a plant, he spots a small clay basin full of corn. Grabbing a handful, he feeds the chicken a single grain.

Deidara left behind an amazing life. His team admired him, he was in the elite and was trained by the most powerful man in the village, all of them still hoping for his return. He even got away with stealing a kinjustu.

He drops another grain, which the chicken rushes to eat. The rest of the flock notices there is a human giving food away and ran to the spot.

Deidara had a wonderful home, a mother that loves him deeply and still welcomes him over, even if he became a missing nin.

One of the newcomers is bullying the other chickens and stealing all the corn. Obito feels weirdly offended, and deciding he dislikes that certain one, he uses his leg to prevent it from feeding. There always has to be one of those. At least he's there to make things more even.

Why did Deidara renounce to all that? The more he thinks about it, the less he understands it. There's a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. If he ever had such a life, he would have considered himself the happiest person on Earth.

A hand leans hard on his shoulder before Deidara sits down next to him.

"Feeding chickens like an old man, Tobi?"

"What do you suggest then?"

His heartbeat starts racing when Deidara takes his wrist, grabs the remaining corn in his hand and pours it over the animals, which busy themselves on their generous meal.

"Let's go somewhere. You've been gushing about how much you want to see the village since we arrived, hm."

"Yes! Take me to the coolest place you can think of!" He exclaims, joyfully.

But his glee doesn't last long, because Deidara takes him up another slope. He's sick of them already. As they're off duty, they leave their cloaks in the house. The sun is low on the horizon, dyeing the sky in an ambarous tone. Soon, he sees where they're heading: a temple. Obito would have never thought of that, but once on top of the hill, he understands why Deidara took him there. The views are magnificent, and the fiery alpenglow that reflects on the mountains around them, the clouds and the lake at the bottom of the valley makes everything even more beautiful. They sit in silence, leaning on the back wall of the temple. Obito looks at Deidara, who appears to be lost in his thoughts.

Does he have the right of wanting to be important to his partner, while at the same time deceiving him? The whole trip has been a lie after all.

"These are the best views in Iwagakure. I used to come here often until I was able to create clay flying birds, hm."

Obito remains silent, not caring if his partner may think he's out of character. Deidara hates restraints. He just made himself a pair of wings and flew ... He was so young when...

"Senpai, why did you leave your village?"

He needs to know it, he can't wait to understand him better.

"They insulted my art, hm," he says staring at his own palm, his hand-mouth is grinning.

"Is that all?" he replies, at the anticlimatic sentence.

"Onoki-sensei was fuming when I sealed the kinjustu's power in my body and my team was on his side. Everyone was against me, so after a heated argument I said I'd leave and never come back. I had already done it before, at least six or seven times, but I always returned after calming down, so of course my sensei didn't believe me. No one did. I liked to imagine him every morning, asking if his silly student had come back yet only to find out I was gone for good."

"Do you regret leaving?"

"No. But Onoki-sensei regrets making me leave every day. Let him worry. If they won't accept my nindo, then they don't deserve my power. Whenever they want to make use of it, they'll have to pay for it now. It's only fair, hm."

Deidara answers straight away, not even taking a moment to consider his answer. Obito is amazed, but also a bit jealous. He seems so sure about that he can't help but wanting to test that confidence.

"But you left behind many good things too."

"Yeah. I guess it always happens when one takes drastic decisions," he says, shrugging. "One can't expect to have it all, don't you think?"

_One can't expect to have it all._

He's so painfully right. And Obito is aware that he'll have to decide eventually, he's been dreading that moment. But seeing Deidara so determined calms him down.

Overall, he's enjoyed his stay in Iwa, he's learned more about Deidara, which was his main goal. Maybe they've even bonded. The silence between them is quite comfortable. A blackbird is singing in a nearby tree and a second one answers the call in the distance a few seconds later. Obito hasn't felt this peaceful in a long time, but there's something that taints the beautiful moment. His conscience bothering him for deceiving Deidara.

He craves to give him more honesty and less lies. But doesn't know how. He's relied on deception for too long.

Before leaving, a miko that apparently knows Deidara already approaches them to say hi and chat for a while. Again, he pays close attention to everything they say in search of more information. In the temple they seem to miss him too.

"Wouldn't you like to buy a wishstick before leaving?" she offers.

"No tha-" Deidara manages to say.

"Yes pleaseee!" Tobi shouts in a sing-song tone of voice, raising his arm.

It suits Deidara not to have anything to wish for. Obito is given a thin paintbrush and a bottle of ink and thinks about what to write. He didn't really want a wishstick, but he saw the reckless request suitable for Tobi's behaviour. Perhaps he could just write some nonsense.

"No peeking, senpai!"

"As if I was interested," he scoffs. "You'll probably wish for unlimited chocolate or whatever."

Obito smiles, he can tell he's lying.

"Not a bad idea. But sadly you'll never know," he teases him.

Suddenly, he's got something. Without hesitating, Obito wishes for courage. Courage to stop lying to him and be more honest. Courage to give him a bit more of truth every day. He doesn't wish for Deidara to accept him, even though that's exactly what he desires more than anything.

Courage will do, to start with.

After writing down his wish, he tosses the stick in the fire pit and they both leave the temple behind. A thin line of smoke rising in the air, carrying his message to another realm.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write more about Deidara's context for a while. Well, I've done bits and pieces in other fics of mine, but never so in deep.  
> Headcanons:  
> During the kage meeting in de Land of Iron, it is said that Onoki hired Akatsuki often. Because of that I think their relationship with Deidara was still good, even if they argued a lot because Onoki doesn't really get all those youngsters. xD  
> About his team. They still get along. Deidara was to them like a big brother. I wanted to recreate something similar to Naruto and Konohamaru's relationship, only that Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi are tougher.  
> About the stolen kinjustu, in Iwa it isn't a big crime to steal it, because they're very well protected and if you can do it, it means you deserve it. Onoki was still quite angry, because he was very fond of Deidara and didn't want him to have such a self destructive justu in his body.  
> About Deidara's family, his mother is indeed a single mum. She has nothing to do with shinobi, but she is an artisan. She met Deidara's dad during a business trip to the capital of the Earth country, the city where the daimyo lives. They were both very good looking and caught each other's eye. It was a fleeting affair #sorrynotsorry as they both had to leave a few days later back to their respective places, he probably never knew he was a dad. Then she found out she was pregnant and decided to have the baby and raise it on her own. It wasn't easy, as it's a judgamental place, who expects people to have babies inside wedlock only. But, he, ho. She didn't give a toss about people's opinions.  
> About Deidara's interest on shinobi, he just liked it from the start, he found an abandoned kunai on a tree trunk and kept it, it was his greatest treasure. Later, when he entered the academy, teachers noticed he had a lot of potential (good chakra control, amazing creativity), and Onoki himself chose him as his student. He thought he could even be Tsuchikage, with his talent, a pity he was so unruly.  
> About Deidara's accent, I always noticed he speaks slightly different. Maybe it's just Kawamoto Katsuhiko's accent (Deidara's seiyuu) who was born in Matsuyama (Eihime Prefecture). But if you see that filler episode where he makes fun of Gaara, it sounds more like "Garra" instead of "Gaara" every time he says it. I thought it would be fun to give him a local accent.  
> Yes, Onoki may seem soft regarding Deidara. But let's remember that Sasuke got pardoned for even worse crimes. And in Konoha, they always welcomed him back. It was even depicted as a bad thing when Danzo declared himself hokage and was going to hunt down and execute him for being a rogue, when I think that executing traitors within a realpolitik context is the most logical thing to do. But, as Sasuke seemed to deserve Konoha's mercy, I decide that Deidara deserves Iwa's mercy too. As his circumstances are somewhat similar.  
> Deidara's betrayal was a mixture of things, and that night was the last straw, he's really serious about his nindo of the art of the single moment, he wouldn't stay in Iwa if he didn't feel apreciated.
> 
> Anyway, Red, hope you like it! This is the second time I write something straight into English instead of translating.


End file.
